Book description
When bombarded with X-rays, solid materials produce distinct scattering
patterns similar to fingerprints. X-ray powder diffraction is a
technique used to fingerprint solid samples, which are then identified
and cataloged for future use-much the way the FBI keeps fingerprints on
file. The current database of some 70,000 material prints has been put
to a broad range of uses, from the analysis of moon rocks to testing
drugs for purity.
Introduction to X-ray Powder Diffractometry fully updates the
achievements in the field over the past fifteen years and provides a
much-needed explanation of the state-of-the-art techniques involved in
characterizing materials. It covers the latest instruments and methods,
with an emphasis on the fundamentals of the diffractometer, its
components, alignment, calibration, and automation.
The first three chapters outline diffraction theory in clear language,
accessible to both students and professionals in chemistry, physics,
geology, and materials science. The book's middle chapters describe the
instrumentation and procedures used in X-ray diffraction, including
X-ray sources, X-ray detection, and production of monochromatic
radiation. The chapter devoted to instrument design and calibration is
followed by an examination of specimen preparation methods, data
collection, and reduction. The final two chapters provide in-depth
discussions of qualitative and quantitative analysis.
While the material is presented in an orderly progression, beginning
with basic concepts and moving on to more complex material, each chapter
stands on its own and can be studied independently or used as a
professional reference. More than 230 illustrations and tables
demonstrate techniques and clarify complex material.
Self-contained, timely, and user-friendly, Introduction to X-ray Powder
Diffractometry is an enormously useful text and professional reference
for analytical chemists, physicists, geologists and materials
scientists, and upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in
materials science and analytical chemistry.
X-ray powder diffraction-a technique that has matured significantly in
recent years-is used to identify solid samples and determine their
composition by analyzing the so-called "fingerprints" they
generate when X-rayed. This unique volume fulfills two major roles: it
is the first textbook devoted solely to X-ray powder diffractometry, and
the first up-to-date treatment of the subject in 20 years.
This timely, authoritative volume features:
* Clear, concise descriptions of both theory and practice-including
fundamentals of diffraction theory and all aspects of the diffractometer
* A treatment that reflects current trends toward automation, covering
the newest instrumentation and automation techniques
* Coverage of all the most common applications, with special emphasis on
qualitative and quantitative analysis
* An accessible presentation appropriate for both students and professionals
* More than 230 tables and illustrations
Introduction to X-ray Powder Diffractometry, a collaboration between two
internationally known and respected experts in the field, provides
invaluable guidance to anyone using X-ray powder diffractometers and
diffractometry in materials science, ceramics, the pharmaceutical
industry, and elsewhere. Ron Jenkins is General Manager at the
International Centre for Diffraction Data in Newtown Square,
Pennsylvania. He has been involved in X-ray research for over thirty
years and has received several professional awards. Dr. Jenkins is the
author of X-ray Fluorescence Spectrometry, An Introduction to X-ray
Spectrometry, and six other books, as well as numerous papers and audio
courses. He also wrote the section on X-ray technology in Kirk-Othmer
Encyclo-pedia of Chemical Technology.
Robert L. Snyder is Professor of Ceramic Science at New York State
College of Ceramics at Alfred University, and Director of the
university's Institute for Ceramic Superconduc-tivity. A Fellow of the
American Ceramic Society, Professor Snyder is the author of two previous
books and more than 200 published papers. He is active in numerous
professional organizations and speaks frequently at conferences.
